Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Corolla Retreat

Wow! I have made it to mid-week and feel like I have come up for a bit of air. The last two weeks have been something of blur, all starting on Easter Weekend. The big highlight was our small group study’s retreat at a beach house in Corolla, NC. I’ve lived in Hampton Roads for 10 years now, but I have never been to the outer banks. The house was really nice, and nothing like my memories of staying at beach houses on Edisto Island, SC.

My memories of beach houses include houses on stilts and linens heavy with the smell of the salt water. As a young child, I remember my Granddaddy Bryan fishing from the shore. It was there that he first introduced me to coffee, granddaddy style (that is, lots of sugar, lots of milk). Grandmother Bryan taught me how to tell the difference between a male and female crab and how to put one to sleep. I remember stories of pirates, pretending water towers were rocket ships, and sitting on the porch during a downpour.

The weekend retreat to Corolla was a great time to get to know two other families in our group. There was lots of good eating, sitting in a hot tub and jumping into an ice cold pool. I got an opportunity to give a morning devotional to the men and the ladies ended up briefly shopping. Not only was it a retreat from daily lives, Cindy and I went without the girls. It was an odd feeling being without them, but, it also was a needed respite.

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